The opening scene sets the tone for the film, and it's unforgiving from there. The first time we see Arthur jumped, you do feel a sense of pity for him. He's clearly mentally challenged and not an inherently bad man. When Arthur gets a taste of his first kill, you can see the gears in his head start to wind. The character goes from being pitiful and, to a point, sympathetic, to a slow decent into madness after seeing that his first murder is what makes him feel noticed.

The descent into madness is not immediate however. He does not go on some murderous spree immediately after. Instead, the film takes its time, setting up several series of events that both are a revelation to the viewer and to Arthur himself, the final one being the tipping point.

Arthur learns of true past. At least as true as the film would allow, and that, as the 3rd act begins, is the final step in Arthur embracing and becoming the Joker. He becomes unhinged, but calculating. His actions are not without merit, from his pov, and they are not senseless in that the kills relate to the story that came before them.

In the end, I walked out having enjoyed the movie. But it is not a fun movie. It is a contrast to the Dark Knight, where a hero sacrifices himself to take the fall for the betterment of his city, and in doing so, instills hope in the future of Gotham. Joker instead only promises a bleak, grim era of the city that, given the theme of the oppressed uprising, is only going to get worse.

Joaquin Phoenix is magnetic. Like any small scale Phoenix film, he's virtually in every single scene, and he owns every frame. The character's progression to several bad days, feeling depressed and hopeless, to embracing and relishing in the Joker persona, is top notch work from him. I would hope he gets an Oscar nod.

“At the end of the movie, a triumphant Fleck — seemingly dead, but magically revived by the cheers of a throng of clown-masked rioters — does a grotesque soft-shoe on top of a shattered cop car, literally dancing on the destroyed remains of the rule of law,” Yang concludes. “Imagine Fleck as Trump, shrugging off impeachment, rebounding with his roaring red-hatted supporters, winning reelection against every prediction and probability.”